Walk Your Cat on a Leash

By Kristin Bailey Murphy

It's not often you see people out walking their cats around the neighborhood, but it does happen. Have you ever wondered how they get their cats to cooperate? Simple -- the answer is leash-training.

It may seem impossible, but according to Sophia Yin, DVM, lecturer and applied animal behaviorist at the UC School of Veterinary Medicine, you can train most cats to love a leash in a week or less.

And because not every cat is a prime leash candidate, Dr. Yin doesn't recommend leash-training an indoor cat that had little or no interaction with new people or locations prior to the age of twelve weeks (which is a cat's prime socialization period). "They're basically agoraphobic," she says. "It would be like taking a person raised in the country who's never left their house, and suddenly dropping them in the middle of Times Square. It would be too scary for them."

So, if you and your cat are ready to try, follow these three steps and you'll be exploring the great outdoors in no time.

Leash-training step 1: Motivate your cat with a treat. This can be any kind of food your cat likes, but whatever it is, make sure it's given at regular meal times so that your cat is hungry. "This way, they have an incentive to work," says Dr. Yin. "If there's no motivation, there won't be cooperation." Next, hold up a harness in one hand and position the treat in the other so that your cat has to put its head close to (or through) part of the harness in order to eat it. "Through little steps, your cat can eventually walk deep enough into the harness for you to fasten it," says Dr. Yin. Repeat this step five to 10 times until the cat knows to come for its treat through the harness without being fearful of it. If at any time the cat shows hesitation, put the harness down, and try again the following day.

Leash-training step 2: Once the harness is in place (this time with a leash attached to it), stand in front of your cat and coax it with a treat, putting very light pressure on the lead to motion it forward. "Pay attention to the response you're getting," adds Dr. Yin. "As long as the cat is engaged in what you're doing, keep doing it. But if it backs away, take the harness off, and next time apply less pressure. You want it to be able to feel that tug without being scared." Again, repeat this five to 10 times until the cat is comfortable walking on a leash.

Leash-training step 3: Now it's time to put all that practice to the test. Take your cat outside with the harness and leash in place. At first, just sit with the cat until it seems acclimated to its surroundings. "Don't force it to walk around yet," advises Dr. Yin. "At this point, the cat should want to do it on its own." Once you're confident the cat isn't fearful, repeat the exercises in step two until the cat's comfortable in its new surroundings.

According to Dr. Yin, the training process shouldn't take more than a week, depending on your cat's level of interest in the outdoors. Before you know it, you and your cat will be sharing countless outdoor adventures, and making memories that will last a lifetime.